Power line communications networks are ones in which data signals are sent over power lines. Various systems exist for use in the home and office environment. For example, HomePlug is the name of a family of standards aimed at providing additional networking in the home environment. The present applicant has disclosed details of two such systems in UK Patent Application Publication Nos. GB 2,450,904 A and GB 2,490,738 A.
One of the problems with widespread adoption of power line communications terminals is their cost and complexity. Installing a power line-based socket terminal in every wall box can be expensive. Furthermore, in environments such as offices, some wall boxes are not on the same network, making power line communications impossible.
There is a need for improvements in and relating to power socket terminal networks to address the aforementioned problems. The present application provides details of such improvements.